Katherine Zimmerman

Katherine Zimmerman is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the lead analyst on al Qaeda for AEI’s Critical Threats Project. Her work is focused on the al Qaeda network, particularly al Qaeda’s affiliates in the Gulf of Aden region, and other associated groups in western and northern Africa. She specializes in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based al Qaeda faction, and in al Shabaab, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia.

Zimmerman has testified before Congress about the national security threats emanating from al Qaeda and its network and has briefed members of Congress, their staff, and members of the defense community. She has been published in outlets such as CNN.com, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Zimmerman graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in political science and modern Middle East studies.

Recognizing the failure of the model in Yemen would call the administration’s entire counter-terrorism approach into question. It’s no surprise, then, that the White House continues to say that Yemen is a success despite the complete collapse of the country.

Following a takeover of a military base the day before, Al Qaeda successfully freed six of their fighters during an attack on a Yemeni prison. The incident now opens up for questioning of how it will affect U.S.-led anti-terror efforts.

The situation in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, deteriorated very rapidly over the weekend and developments are still unfolding. The US military is on alert should US Embassy Sana’a require an evacuation, especially after an embassy vehicle was fired on yesterday.

If the United States does not rethink its counterterrorism strategy, then the question the American people should be asking is not if, or even when, there will be another attack, but rather how bad it will be.